


Gemrillaz

by InsomniacFlaaffy



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, More characters to be added, gem au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 10:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17723276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsomniacFlaaffy/pseuds/InsomniacFlaaffy
Summary: A Rose Quartz who falls in love with an Amethyst and the world he calls his home. An Off-Color Pearl who craves for escape from his brute of master, Black Jasper. A Blue Zircon who is the best of lawyer in Homeworld but cracks his gem in a freak accident. And a human/gem hybrid of a child who was created to be nothing more than a tool for the government. When their lives collide, they make the sweetest of music together. But there are enemies looking for them and who know what will happen when they're caught.





	1. Welcome to Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of kahpoh on tumblr Gem AU. The idea comes from them, I just write the stories.

At first, there was darkness. A vast plain stretched out in all directions into nothingness, to what seems to be, forever. Life was unable to sustain itself in a place such as this. But in the distance, a light sparkled like a star in the vacuum of space. Fine pink dust floated among the darkness then began to gather itself. Together, they appeared as a messy congregation of thoughts, feelings, and directives. The dust reached to the swirled around the light, leeching the energy out of the darkness.

From the mixture of light and dust, a cone shaped gemstone was created: a single Rose Quartz. The quartz’s hexagonal face was untouched by imperfections; a perfect gem with a bright sheen to its surface. Only a moment later, a pink unidentified mass of light began to take form around the gem. Parts of the mass grew more defined with every passing minutes; a wide torso, a pair of legs and arms, and a head. The body formation came to an end and the pink light dissipated into darkness once more. Then a sudden loud explosion rang out which made the black void quake.

Light filtered inside the dark, person shaped hole which the Rose Quartz rested in. The Rose Quartz’s eyes fluttered the slowly cracked open all on their own. He winced at the unwelcomed light, closed his eyes, and attempted to wiggle deeper within his home. He was already pressed against the end of the hole and only made rocks dig into his back. He let out an annoyed sigh. We wanted to go back to sleep though it looked like he wasn’t going to get it with that light blinding him.

And yet, it piqued his interest. He opened his eyes again and he used a hand to shield his untrained eyes to the light. What was beyond the beams of light?  He wanted answers to the questions that now swam around in his head.

The Quartz’s pink hand touched the hole’s rocky wall and he paid close attention to how it felt under his skin. It was rough, hard, and somewhat chilly from the lack of light it had for the longest time. He retracted his hand and stared at his palm, bending his fingers several times. _What an interesting feeling_ , Rose Quartz thought. There had to be more textures to feel and places to see out there. It had to be.

His hole went at a downward angle, so he couldn’t just simply walk out. Rose Quartz braced his hands against the walls on either side of him, dug his heels in the ground, and started his ascension upwards. With each climb he made, the brighter the light became. Rose Quartz reached out to the light and his whole body was engulfed by it.

Then everything came into focus before his eyes.

Rose Quartz’s mouth hung open as he gripped the edges of his hole’s entrance. The sun barely shined through the thick layers of grey clouds in the sky above. The air here was unsettling and still in this place. Ahead of him was a wall of blackened rock decorated in many person shaped holes similar to his own, all of them empty. That meant there were more Gems just like him and he wanted to meet them all immediately. He took a step forward…

…And fell straight down out of his hole.

He crashed face first against the unmoving ground with a heavy thud which caused dirt to fly. The cloud of airborne dirt faded after a few seconds and Rose Quartz rose to his feet. He could only stare in amazement at his new surroundings while he walked.

Black, smooth rock walls full of holes towered over Rose Quartz, continuing in the north and the south. The canyon split the planet’s surface for what appeared to be miles, or until he could no longer see it over the horizon. It was dead, barren, and lonesome yet Rose Quartz couldn’t help but to love this place. A single word came to mind when he saw these walls: Kindergarten. It was a place where Gems were created and born from the womb of the earth; his home. The creation of new life and experiences.

He stopped in front of a large machine near a section of neatly placed Gem holes. It possessed four appendages for mobility, a reinforced container which was empty, and a drill sturdy enough to break through the hardest of rocks. His mind gave him a name for the machine. This was a Geode Inserter, a machine that held Gem matter in its glass container, which it implants the material into the rocks. This inserter was not moving; it had finished its purpose.

But what was Rose Quartz’s purpose? He thought about the question for minute. Well, he was a type of Quartz and Quartzes were usually soldiers and laborers. That’s was his directive, to proudly serve his Diamond as his destiny foretold. But he wanted to see the rest of this world and its residents and meet his siblings who form way before he did. Perhaps he could balance work and play? Would his Diamond ever approve of such a thing?

He took a seat on a smooth rock beside him and looked all around him. He knew that not a single soul was left in the whole Kindergarten except for himself. The wind picked up and he felt the breeze glided over his bald head. The holes created a series of eerie howls as the wind passed through them and echoed throughout the canyon. His thought wandering brought his eyes down at the pink gem that replaced his navel. He rested a hand on the gem and it felt warm to the touch.

“Hey, R6H!”

Rose Quartz lifted his head at the voice. That was his callsign; everyone Gem had one specifically for them. He got up and noticed an Amethyst making their way to him. His body stiffened. Hell, what should he do or say? Introduce himself? Say nice to meet you? Would it be weird if he called them family? While he was going through all those questions in his head, the Amethyst stood right in front of him.

“You’re a Rose Quartz, aren’t you?” the Amethyst with a feminine voice asked, pointing a finger at him. He opened his mouth to give an answer but, almost in a flash, the Amethyst was all over him. She lifted his arms up, squeezing them and exploring his body. “You guys are a rare sight. Got the muscle mass for a Quartz but you’re a bit pudgy and short,” the Amethyst commented bluntly.

But she wasn’t wrong. He was certainly chubbier than the Amethyst and almost a head shorter than her. She was the perfect example of what an Amethyst should be, and he was different. Not that being different was a bad thing. It just felt strange. He hoped there were more Rose Quartzes out there.

Amethyst grabbed ahold of his wrist. Her grasp was tight and had strength behind in. He stumbled as the Amethyst dragged further into the canyon’s innards. “Come on,” she said, “Your squad has already formed, and your Jasper will get even more pissed if you arrive even later!”

He was part of a squad? Was it a squad made up of Rose Quartzes? Rose Quartz looked over shoulder to watch his home. He gave it a silent goodbye as the space between them lengthen it faded over the horizon. It made his body feel weird all over. Could it be homesickness for his hole? He wasn’t sure about it.

Amethyst led him up a set of stone stairs, black as the canyon walls, and onto a warp pad. It reflected different colors in certain spots like a crystal; a colorful object in a place like this. The two Quartzes stood side by side. Rose Quartz glanced up at the Amethyst who didn’t look at him. She held an expressionless, hardened look on her face and kept her sight ahead of her. He inhaled then exhaled, trying to expel his nervousness from his body. A large beam of cyan blue light enveloped the two from the warp pad and, in an instant, the two Gems disappeared.

The blue beam of light shot down from high above and from it, Rose Quartz and the Amethyst appeared. He stepped off the warp pad, astonished at the new environment. Big fluffy clouds filled the peach colored sky, drifting along at a slow pace. The sun shined bright in this place compared to the Kindergarten, so much that it hurt his eyes. Peach colored stone seats formed an oval shaped arena able to hold a great number of Gems. Four stone obelisks were erected at four points outside of the arena to represent each Diamond: Pink, White, Yellow, and Green. From the pink diamond integrated in his uniform, he belonged to Pink. “Whoa,” was the only thing Rose Quartz could say at that time.

Amethyst slapped a hand down on his shoulder, “Alright, enough gawking. Get it formation with your squad and follow the direction of your Jasper.” Without a single goodbye, the purple Gem hustled down the stairs and ran to fill a place within a squad.

Now, Rose Quartz was left to his own devices. His eyes looked down at the arena. There had to be a half a dozen squad of Quartzes standing in 6x6 sections and in front of every squad was a single Jasper. It was then when he saw an empty spot in one squad to the far right while all the others were full. Rose Quartz panicked; that was his squad.

He hightailed it down the stairs as fast as he could without hurting himself. When he was nearing the bottom, a group of Gems caught his wandering eye. There were four Gems in total, but it was the Amethyst that made his head turn. While all Amethysts generally looked similar, this Amethyst was different. His hair was short, almost as dark as the night sky, and braided against his head unlike the long purple haired Gems. He wore armor instead of the normal Diamond assigned body suit. He didn’t hide the fact that he was different from the others in formation.

That was when the Amethyst turned his head and their eyes met.

The world around Rose Quartz slowed down at that exact moment. It was then that the Amethyst grinned at him, revealing pretty, white teeth, and gave him a wink. Rose Quartz felt his cheeks get warm and his body went numb. There was something about this particular Gem that which had him wanting to learn more about him. Was it the way he looked at him? Because the longer they stared at each, the more Rose felt his face become consumed by warmth.

Rose Quartz wasn’t focused on where he was going, and he tripped over his feet. He tumbled down the remaining stairs and hit the stone floor with his face. The warmth in his face turned into embarrassment and he scrambled to get to his feet. He didn’t dare to look back at the Gems as he ran in the direction of his squad. Rose was quick to get into position at the back corner of the formation and tried his best as to not draw attention to himself.

It was easier said than done though. He was the only Rose Quartz in his squad. No, the only Rose Quartz in the arena. His pink skin stood out like a sore thumb in a sea of purple Gems. He tried not dwell of the thought for too long. Rose Quartz stood at attention with his chest puffed out like a good soldier should.

“You there! Rose Quartz! Get up here now!” He heard of unpleasant female’s voice call for him in the front of the squad. With his height, he was unable to see who it belonged to over the taller Amethysts’ bodies. This made the Amethysts turn their heads to stare at him.

Rose Quartz cursed to himself and stepped out of formation by taking a wide step to the right. Every step he took were heavy; he could hear the Amethysts whispering about him. He became nervous when he reached the front and saw the leader of his squad: Crocodile Jasper.

Crocodile Jasper was a taller and beefier Gem than the Amethysts before her, just as a Jasper should be. Her skin was a dark green splotched with green markings while her hair was a light green and bushy. Her gem, dark and light green in a smooth oval shape, fixated on her left shoulder. She bared her sharp teeth in a taunting smirk and folded her arms over her large chest as Rose Quartz came closer.

“And here’s the little runt who took his sweet time forming,” Crocodile commented, “You kept us behind in our work for several decades. Your squadmates have been picking up your slack all this time.”

“I’m sorry?” Rose Quartz replied, “I couldn’t really control when I came out my hole.”

Crocodile leaned forward, getting in the smaller Gem’s face. “Think you’re so clever, huh?” she spat out, “An overcooked, fancy little Rose Quartz who thinks he’s better than everyone else. I can’t wait to snap you in half and have you groveling at my feet. You won’t be so special then.”

Rose Quartz stood his ground. He wasn’t going to let some giant piece of green material scare him into submission. It was going to take something more than mean word to make him submit.

“’Ey Crocodile,” a voice said nearby. With a grunt, the Jasper straightened herself and focused in the direction of the voice.

Rose Quartz did the same and almost flinched in shock. It was that Amethyst again, along with his three friends, making their way towards the two. He wanted to learn what kind of Gems the others were, but he couldn’t take his eyes of the Amethyst. What about him that cause him to act and feel weird?

“Not you again,” Crocodile groaned as the group approached her. “What do you want? I don’t have time to be bother by you.”

“Why you messing with Hot Rock here?” the Amethyst asked.

“Because I’m the leader of this squad!” Crocodile yelled, “I can treat my soldiers any way I want!” From her shoulder gem, she summoned a large baton in her right hand. “You got a problem with that?”

“Sounds like to me that you’re jealous of Hot Rock,” he said then smiled, “Maybe I should let Plum Agate know about this? She would love hearing that one of her Jaspers ain’t leading as efficiently as she should.”

Crocodile’s eyes widened, and she growled, causing her weapon to dematerialize in a green light. “Ugh, fine. I don’t know why Plum Agate and Pink Diamond waste their time with the likes of you.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” he said. He and the three other Gems walked pass Crocodile Jasper but stopped right beside Rose Quartz.

He could see the Amethyst up close now. The purple gem embedded his chest shimmered in the light like a thing of beauty. Rose Quartz felt the warmth return to his face immediately. Amethyst rested a soft, gloved hand on his shoulder, making Rose’s mind race.

“Take care of yourself, Hot Rock,” he said to him with such gentleness, like he was an old friend, and winked again. “And welcome to Earth.”

Rose Quartz found out his voice didn’t want to work at that moment. Right now, all he could do was just stare back at him with his mouth agape. Amethyst released his shoulder and walked by. The other Gems followed behind him, giving Rose Quartz nods and smiles. The group stepped onto a warp pad on the other side of the arena and warped away from the location. Rose couldn’t stop looked at the warp pad. He needed to know about that Amethyst now more than ever.

“Get back in formation, R6H,” Crocodile Jasper ordered, not making eye contact with him.

Rose Quartz ran back to his place in the formation. All he could think of was those words that Amethyst said to him.

“ _Welcome to Earth_.”

 


	2. Strings Through a Pearl

 

In the vast nothingness of space, pass vivid galaxies and glittering stars, a spaceship zipped through all the stillness. It wasn’t some low tech, piece of junk vessel given to members of the Homeworld’s Aerial Defense. No, this ship was one of a kind; its shape similar to a gigantic hand. Only the Diamonds and important Gem officials earned the right to fly body part shaped spaceships.

This ship in particular was special in its make; created exactly in the Captain’s image. The entire ship was black and covered in reflective material, so it blended with the space surrounding it. No enemy ship would see it coming until it was too late to flee or retaliate. This ship was feared by many to dared to cross its deadly path.

Asteroids simply bounced or disintegrated on contact with the speeding ship, barely causing a lick a damage to it. Its thrusters were set to full drive; its hand clinched tight in a fist as it traveled closer to a planet in the distance. The closer the got, the more the planet’s features grew visible. The planet was medium sized terrestrial satellite surrounded by a tilted ring of space debris. Its atmosphere was a deep red with large green and brown landmasses split by small bodies of water.

The Gem spaceship did not slow in speed and it punched its way through the planet’s upper atmosphere. The ship burst into flames upon entry and shook from the turbulence but remained together. It was built to withstand heat and pressure that of a thousand times more than the in habitable amount. The thick pink clouds parted as the black spaceship came in closer for a landing. Torrents of winds and red dust whipped when the craft neared solid ground, rippling through the local flora. The ship’s fist slammed down in the middle of an open field covered in red grass, shaking the earth for miles. A gigantic wave of airborne red dirt washed over the area in a large gust a wind, throwing everything in darkness.

Then everything went quiet.

The dust settled away from it place of origin, returning visibility back to normal. The ship sat still in the same position as it landed and the planet. Moment later, the ship began to move again. It lifted itself to a neutral position, flipped itself over, and opened its hand with its palm facing the sky. In the center of the ship’s palm, a disk of white light formed then opened like a spiraling door. Two figures rose from the dark depths of the body of the spaceship: a Black Jasper and his Black Pearl.

The ship’s index finger lower and touched the ground without a single sound. The two Gems used the extended finger as a ramp and they together stepped down, landing in the ankle high grass. Similar to the ship, Black Jasper was quite unique himself also.

Unlike the boorish soldier Jaspers he was born with, Black Jasper had class and proper education in their society. The white diamond embroider on his black, long tailed coat was an apparent detail of high authority. His black battle helmet casted a shadow over his grey skinned face. His eyes, narrow and intimidating, scanned the field stretched before him. The white cravat he wore around his neck sparkled with broken gems of his favorite hunts as his personal trophies. He ran out of room and attached his remaining trophies to his right coat sleeve. Black Jasper lacked a right hand, which was replaced by his circle shaped gem.

Black Jasper rubbed his stubble covered chin with his useful gloved hand and ran his tongue across his unsightly teeth. He asked the much shorter Gem by his side without so as much as giving him a glance, “Who’s my target for today, Pearl?”

The Black Pearl wasn’t perfect, far from his more radiant counterparts. He was an Off Color, a joke to Gem Society. His eyes and gem made the derogatory term stick harder to him. The right side of his face was normal, but the left side was a hot mess. Instead of a single eye, two eyes on top of each other tried to occupy the same space. A rust colored jagged scar tore through his light grey skin underneath his pair eyes and disappeared under his black bangs. His gem, a smooth oval located on the front of his pelvis, was a mess just like his face. It lacked luster and sheen most Pearls possessed. His gem had a splattering of whites, blacks, and rust orange for it coloring, almost too ugly for one to look at. He wore a comical orange and black jester outfit including a see-through ruffled collar around his neck and ankles. The outfit was degrading, even for a Pearl to wear.

The Pearl brought up a grey light projection screen in the air before him from his Gem. He scrolled through the text on the diamond shaped screen then stopped at to picture. “That would be the rogues Ruby and Topaz, my Jasper,” he answered with obedience. “Wanted by the Diamond Authority for several counts of treason, arson, evading arrest, assisting a war criminal, and property damage.”

Black Jasper snatched the screen away from him in a single swipe of his hand. His eyes swept over the pictures several times before his lips upturned into a sharp smirk. He laughed, a gravely noise that formed in the bottom his throat, and he shattered the screen in his powerful grip. The shards of light disappeared as they scattered from Jasper’s hand. “Nothing but low-class Gems,” Black Jasper spat out. “They should be honored to be hunted by someone of my luster. This will be a quick and easy job. Let the hunt begin.” Black Jasper walked ahead, squishing down grass blades beneath his unforgiving boots.

Black Pearl contorted his face, “Let the hunt begin,” he mocked in a high-pitched voice. He rolled his eyes and returned his voice back to normal. “Give me a fucking break, you oil colored piece of- “

“Pearl! Get over here already!” Pearl heard Jasper call out for him in the thicket lining the field.

A shudder rocked Black Pearl’s body and he crinkled his misshapen nose then grinned, wide and forced. “Coming, my Jasper!”

\-----

Fingers glided across another light projection screen as Black Pearl followed Black Jasper’s lead. Numbers, aerial projectile angles, and wind directions filled the wide screen, almost overwhelmed his head with a load of new information. Black Pearl casted his sight to the sky over his head. The wide, flat canopies of purple barked, dark green trees blocked out most of the sky. There were tiny gaps in between the trees, letting in tiny amounts of light. His eyes returned to his screen. From the information he was given, the Ruby and the Topaz fled from Homeworld after stealing a personal space vessel their Aerial Commander of the Sector, Spinel.

It had Black Pearl thinking. What they did was bold. Much bolder for soldier Gems like themselves to do. Hell, it was bold of them to join that Bismuth’s side even. How did those low tier Gems summon the courage to defy the Diamonds and rebel? In a sense, Black Pearl was jealous. A Ruby and Topaz escaped the great power Diamond Authority and he couldn’t leave the grasp of Black Jasper.

He looked pass his screen and fixated on Black Jasper’s back as they pushed further into the dense forest. All he had for Black Jasper was complete and utter hatred for him. If he had some sort of cardiovascular system within his body, anger would be coursing through it every moment he was forced to be at Black Jasper’s side. Which was every single agonizing second of his miserable, sorry excuse for an existence. If only he could-

Beeping from his screen broke his train of thought. He tapped several times on the surface, locking on to a location to the northwest of their postion. “My Jasper,” Black Pearl said, holding back his malice for those to words. “I finally received a signal from the stolen ship’s positioning beacon. It appears to be about two klicks away from where we stand. The Rogues shouldn’t be too far if the ship is still in one piece.”

 Black Jasper chuckled, “My prey is so close. I can almost taste them.”

The Pearl rolled his eyes, unsummoned his data screen, and focused his attention on Black Jasper’s back again. If only his gaze could physical pierce through the Quartz’s body and shatter his gem.

The dense forest came to a sudden stop as it opened to a wide clearing. Black Jasper pushed through the overgrown, thick bushes that lined the area’s perimeter with ease, while Black Pearl struggled to wiggle from the foliage’s grasp. The Jasper paid no attention to the Pearl’s dilemma and walked further to the center of the clearing. Pearl, after fighting with the bush, escaped its clutches and his entire body hit the ground. Gathering himself and dusting the dirt from his clothes, Black Pearl focused his sight ahead him. Sitting all by itself was the pink stolen ship they were looking for.

Well, it was more akin to a shuttle than an actual full-sized spacecraft. A full-sized ship wouldn’t be able to fit in the clearing without knocking some trees down. Its landing gear had been deployed corrected and the ship sat on the ground without any sign of crashing. The Gems landed deliberately; they were planning to come her all along.

Pearl returned to his Jasper’s side near the now abandoned shuttle. Black Jasper knelt to the ground and casted his eyes downwards. Two set of foot prints, one large and one small, were imbedded into the slightly damp soil. They started at the shuttle and trailed forward into the forest. The Jasper gathered some of the dirt squished down by the weight of its owner. He rolled the dirt between his fingers as he stood up, staring at it intensely. Only a second passed before Black Jasper dropped the dirt and smeared his dirty fingers on Pearl’s uniform.

“These are fresh prints,” he noted. “They can’t be far from here. I can smell their fear…” Black Jasper grabbed ahold of his gem arm and summoned his weapon, tearing it out from his gem. His weapon was a cat-o-nine tails; a weapon suited for a Gem like him. He cracked the whip’s thin nine tails and chuckled to himself. The sharp noise reverberated in Pearl’s ears, causing him to flinch. Thankfully, Black Jasper had his back to him, so the Quartz didn’t catch Pearl’s small opening through his façade.

Black Jasper’s laugh transformed into full blown cackling, like a mad man. “Time to shatter some rebels!” He announced then dashed into the forest, leaving his Pearl behind.

Now that his Jasper was gone, this neutral expression turned into a scowl and looked down at his shirt. Smears of wet dirt covered a small spot on his chest. Well, he didn’t even like the damn outfit anyway. Pearl released his shirt and looked ahead of him. He better follow after Jasper before he left him behind on an unfamiliar planet…again.

The red grass stomped flat created a path for Pearl to follow. It was never too difficult to find Black Jasper. He wasn’t too much of a rich Diamond suck-up to escape all his built-in Jasper traits. He still was, somewhere beneath his act and clothes, another foot soldier. But Pearl would never say that to his face. He would end up shattered or punished for speaking out of line. A body shaking chill ran down his spine at the mere thought. He rather have his gem crushed to dust than suffer through another humiliating punishment. Black Pearl came to a halt as he broke away from his bad train of thought and frowned. Jasper’s grass trail had mixed with other trails of various sizes.

“Well, fuck me, I guess,” he vocalized his annoyance with an uncaring motion of his arms. There was no kind of land marker to point out his way for direction. The lack of light in the area due to the canopies of the trees high above his head.

He brought up his map screen again but saw something he didn’t want to see. The text on the screen was broken and flickered all over, as if something was someone was jamming its signal. Frustrated, Pearl grabbed ahold of the screen and threw it as hard as he could. The screen collided with the base of a tree and shattered like broken glass.

He let out a huff, both at himself and the situation he managed to get into again. Standing around and being annoyed would get him nowhere. He had to pick a direction to go sooner or later. With much mulling over, he eventually chose the trail he assumed led southwest.

Pearl took step forward and his right foot snapped a brittle branch that he had noticed on the forest floor. Its cracking noise echoed through the silence and stillness of the area. Soon after, a high-pitched noise cut through all the other noises. It was a loud discord of buzzing, loud to the point Pearl had to cover his ears. The leaves above his head rustled then a large shadow shot out from hiding.

Black Pearl threw himself to the ground immediately. The wind whipped through his hair and clothes as the creature zipped pass overhead. He got back up and was now facing with his attacker. It appeared to be some insect the same size as the Pearl. The color of its exoskeleton was bright blue and black splotches that dotted its shell in an irregular pattern. Compared to its tiny head and thorax, its abdomen was bulbous and spherical. It was a mystery how the insect afloat with its small, fast beating wings. It reeled back and dashed forward as it held its gigantic stinger out in Pearl’s direction.

He had to think and act quickly. That thing could poof him if the sharp stinger impaled him right through the chest. He rarely got to do any kind of fighting while under Black Jasper’s all-seeing eye. And he always was looking for an excuse to break out his weapon. Not like he was going to get another opportunity such as this one in the future. Pearl had made up his mind right then.

He interlocked his fingers behind his head and gave his pelvis a hard thrust. His gem glowed white; its bright light stunned the insect in place as it screeched. Pearl, from his crotch gem, pulled out a large scythe and grasped its two handles. The sharp, curved blade of his weapon, colored white and burnt orange, glowed in the dim lighting of the forest. The angry insect snapped out of its confusion and screeched again at Pearl. It shot out a shower of stingers from its body like an automatic weapon.

Black Pearl grounded his feet to the forest floor, not moving a muscle at the face of danger. The world around him slowed down as he tightened his grip on his weapon. Pearls were never supposed to engage in battle They were only created to serve a master. But he was an Off-Color and he did not have to follow the rules of Gem Society. When the stingers drew closer, Pearl retaliated with a loud shout. He might be a defect, but he was still a Pearl. Grace and balance ran deep pass the confines of his body and gem.

Pearl swirled his scythe in front of him and deflected the oncoming stingers. They dropped to the floor hard like they were made from metal. The insect came charging for a kamikaze attack. Its abdomen split apart and opened like a flower to reveal a second mouth containing rows of sharp teeth. Pearl wasn’t affected by the disgusting sight. Black Jasper was a hundred times more disgusting than that creature would every be. Closer and closer the insect came; Pearl had to wait for the exact right time for the finisher.

It was when a small beam of light streaked across its large eyes that Pearl saw his opening. His eyes widened, and he slashed his scythe through the insect, right in half. The two sections flew pass him, spraying him with blue slime, and hit against a tree behind him. The insect’s fluids covered his head and shoulders; it was sticky and reeked of death. Pearl took a hand and ran it across his face, smearing the slime rather than wiping it away.

“That was so cool!” a childish voice shouted from the bushes, out of Black Pearl’s sight.

“Ruby, shush!” a deep voice snapped at the other voice. “We don’t know who that Gem is. He could be on the Diamonds’ side, for all we know!”

As if he would ever support those overgrown clods. He bowed to no one. Or he would say that if he wasn’t under Black Jasper’s thumb. The thought made him scowl as he did before. Bottling up his negative feelings deep inside himself, Pearl called out, “Alright, show yourselves. Not like I couldn’t hear your loud mouths.”

Seconds ticked by and the bushes rattled as the two Gems climbed out from their hiding spot. A Ruby stepped out first. Confidence and positive vibes radiated off the small red Gem as she held herself high and rested her hands on her hips. Soon after, a Topaz shuffled out from the bushes. The muscles yellow Gem held on to the Ruby shoulders as to attempt to hide behind her. Her eyes stayed locked on Pearl, fear noticeable in her shaky eyes.

“You rogues aren’t very hard to find, aren’t you?” asked the Pearl. Caused plenty of chaos and mayhem back in Homeworld.”

Topaz’s body stiffened, and she summoned a yellow morning star in her right hand. She spun the spiked ball over her head and shouted, “I knew it! He’s on the Diamonds’ side and is here to take us back to Homeworld! We have to get rid of him, Ruby!”

“Topaz, you know we shouldn’t jump to-” Ruby said.

“I hate the Diamonds, personally,” Pearl interrupted. “Well, hate isn’t the sort of word to express how I feel about those clods. Like hell I’ll ever support them. I’m here to ask questions and get answers.”

The weapon disappeared from Topaz’s hand and she relaxed her body and knitted her brow. “Just questions? What kind of questions? And how do we know you’re not trying to let our guard down?”

Pearl growled, his frustration coming to a head. “I just want some damn answers!” Suddenly, Black Pearl felt a wave of insecurity hit him. It always hit the hardest when he felt lost mentally. It made him even angrier at himself. The two female Gems looked with a mixture of confusion and pity. He didn’t need their concern. “Tell me the truth and no bloody lying to me either.” Pearl said, “What’s it like being free from,” he then motioned his arms outward, “From all this Diamond shit? And from being nothing but trash or a slave?”

Stars formed in the Topaz and Ruby’s eyes as their faces beamed. Ruby replied as she clasped her hands together. “Oh, it’s the most wonderful thing that could have ever happened to us! Think about it: one day, you’re working as you always do then a Bismuth comes by and says ‘Why do you have to do this? Do you what your life to begin and end like this?’”

“Joining the Resistance was the best thing we could have ever done,” added Topaz, “We can be what we want, do what we want, and love however we want. Every Gem is equal. No one is judged by the cut of their gem.”

We’re traveling through systems to liberate more Gems from Homeworld colonies,” Ruby said with a smile on her face. “More Gems for our cause will bring us closer to our goal in the future. You want to join us? I promise it will be tons of fun!”

“No thanks,” Pearl declined, “I’m no freedom fighter. I’m more of the loner type of Gem. All I want is to get the hell away from everything and everyone.”

Topaz folded her arms and nodded, “I understand how you feel. Lots of Gems felt the same way. No everyone is a fighter.”

“Hey now,” Pearl said. “I never said I wasn’t a fighter-”

“Come out, little rogues!” Black Jasper’s gravelly voice echoed through the forest. “You can’t hide from me forever!”

Fear brought icy chills through Pearl’s entire body. Fuck, he was closer than he expected. He certainly was a good Gem tracker. It was an off-handed compliment that almost caused Pearl to punch himself. As if he needed to waste his breath or thought on that piece of shit. But now wasn’t the time for that. He had to get these two out of here. He didn’t want Black Jasper to gain more trophies for his stupid collection.

“Oh Stars, he’s with a bounty hunter!” Topaz exclaimed.

It was spur of the moment, but Pearl had to do something, anything. “You two, run like hell. I’ll distract him, so you can get out of here,” said Pearl.

“What? Are you really going to do that for us?” Topaz asked.

“Yeah, why the hell not. Not like I have nothing left to lose.”

Ruby came up to Pearl, grasped his hand in hers, and shook it rapidly. “Oh, thank you, thank you so much, Mister…” she paused to look up at him. She had no idea what gem he was. His defects masked any prominent Pearl traits, so of course normal Gems would be confused.

“My name is,” Pearl paused for a second. He needed a new name to go by now. He defiled the name that was Pearl with his existence. He went against his master and aided rebels. That was when his new name called out to him. “Murdoc,” he answered, slipping his hand out of the Ruby’s hold. “My name is Murdoc.”

“Murdoc,” Topaz repeated then she bowed her head. “We will never forget your kindness.”

“Yeah, yeah, are you two just going to stand there and wait to get shattered?”

The large yellow Gem grabbed ahold of Ruby’s small hand and led her back into the thick undergrowth. Sounds of leave shifting and twigs snapping faded as they grew further away from him before turning into background noise. Pearl, now dubbed Murdoc, had to make their escape genuine. He ruffled his hair and clothes frantically with his hands. Jasper would have to go easy on him if he had fought the rebels and lost. By the Stars, he couldn’t believe he was doing something like this. His gem was probably going soft from this.

“Ah-ha!” Black Jasper shouted as he burst out from the shadows with a grin on his face. The smile turned to a perplexed frown when he saw his Pearl instead of his prey. “What the hell is this?” he said with a wave of his weapon to the side, “Where are my targets?”

“Forgive me, my Jasper,” Murdoc crossed his wrist and ankles then bowed. “The rebel over powered me and escaped. I’m not sure where they went…”

“You…” Jasper stepped forward to tower over the Pearl. Anger radiated from his dark skin. “You let them escape…?”

“They overpowered me, my Jasper!” Murdoc lied. “I’m not built for fighting such as you are, my radiance. I am only but a Pearl.”

Black Jasper grabbed Murdoc’s collar and brought him in close with a rough pull. It had Murdoc grasping onto the larger Gem’s wrist. “Shut your bloody fucking mouth, you absolute waste of resources,” he snarled, moving his grip to the Pearl’s neck. Murdoc began to sweat bullets. “I bless you with the honor of joining me on a hunt and you let them go. I know you want escape.”

“Escape?” Murdoc chuckled nervously. “I would never do that, my Jasper!”

“Do not lie to me, Pearl,” he said, tightening his grip. “You were always trouble since the day I dug you out that shit hole under Homeworld. I given you everything, yet you give me nothing in return. You are no better than those rebels…”

“Jasper, please…” he strained to whisper out.

“Silence!” Black Jasper bellowed and squeezed his hand tight. The pure strength caused Murdoc to explode into a plume of cream-colored smoke. His gem fell to the forest floor and Black Jasper was quick to stash the gem away in his coat pocket.


End file.
